A REQUIEM for Aleppo to raise funds for the Syrian crisis is one of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe along with a dance show in which three men play Lady Macbeth.
Also appearing at the Fringe in August is Glasgow-based artist Robbie Thomson who has harnessed the sonic capabilities of the Tesla coil in a live performance.
Following a sold-out premiere at Sadler’s Wells in London, Requiem for Aleppo will be staged for one night only at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on August 16. The collaboration between musicians, dancers and those affected by war is already creating waves.
“I want Requiem for Aleppo to be a reminder, now and ongoing, of the suffering of a people and what the world has lost,” explained composer David Cazalet. “It is an appeal to our common humanity — an expression of grief articulated in movement, song and design. It is a refusal to pay silent witness to a humanitarian crisis.
“Requiem for Aleppo is written in memoriam for the lives that have been lost, destroyed, dislocated and displaced, it is a lament for the destruction of a city of great sophistication, history and tolerance whose loss is humanity’s loss.”
WHO IS TAKING PART?
FOR the Edinburgh production the company is joined by Jacob O’Donnell, BBC Dancer of the Year 2015, as well as 12 dancers from around the world.
Cazalet’s original music is a combination of Requiem Mass lyrics set to choral music, linked by Arabic poetry from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, also set to music, and interwoven throughout with the voices of people from Aleppo telling their stories – stories gathered from recent interviews and which have fed into the development of the work.
A former resident of Aleppo, Dr Elie Elhadj said the piece was “a brilliant act of love, remembrance and empathy ... a celebration of our common humanity, values and hope”.
Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance, the venue for the performance, added: “In the year of 70th anniversary of Edinburgh’s Festivals, festivals created to reunite Europe and the world through art and creativity following war, this piece is not only an expression of our unity and support for the people of Aleppo in a period of conflict but also a poignant reminder of why our festivals were founded and what they celebrate.”
WHAT ABOUT MACBETH?
EXPLORING the relationship between masculinity and femininity is Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here.
Created and directed by Herald Angel Award winner Kally Lloyd-Jones, it examines the ambition, power and remorse of one of Shakespeare’s most complex women.
Taking the Bard’s text as a starting point, this co-production with Solar Bear – known for its pioneering work with the D/deaf community – uses British Sign Language as an integral part of the choreography.
Company Chordelia’s artistic director Lloyd-Jones said: “After the success of Nijinsky’s Last Jump in 2015, I am really delighted to be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here. I am looking forward to seeing the show at Dance Base which combines intimacy with spaciousness in a way that makes dance very exciting to experience there. I am thrilled that we have our fantastic original cast and I think audiences can expect a moving show which will interest and captivate on different levels.”
Solar Bear’s creative director Jonathan Lloyd added: “We are proud and excited that Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here will be performed at the Fringe this year. As a piece of visual dance theatre the show is accessible to all, and to add the extra dimension of incorporating British Sign Language into the choreography only further layers an already engrossing experience.”
The show runs from August 4-27 at Dance Base.
AND TESLA TOO?
IN 1891 the inventor Nikola Tesla tamed lightning with his Tesla coil, a device that renders electricity visible.
This Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Thomson has harnessed the sonic capabilities of the Tesla coil in an attempt to give a glimpse of the subatomic relationships that govern the universe.
With the Tesla coil housed in an imposing steel Faraday cage and accompanied by audio-reactive projections, his show, XFRMR, is described as a “physical assault on the senses”.
“It’s great to be bringing XFRMR to the Fringe” said Thomson. “I’ve been developing and touring this set a lot over the last year but this will be the first time I’ve shown the Tesla coil in Scotland since playing at the Optimo club night a couple of years back so I’m excited to show people what I’ve been up to.
“The arcs from the Tesla coil produce the sounds that drive the piece live — there are other synths in there too but the coil really defines the mood of the piece.”
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
THOMSON said that there would be a lot of brand new material for the Fringe show as well as some updates on the reactive visuals that are mapped on to the setup.
“The arcs from the Tesla coil produce the sounds that drive the piece live, there are other synths in there too but the coil really defines the mood of the piece, it’s an aggressive-sounding instrument but you can get a lot of interesting different tones from it,” he explained.
The show will be presented by Glasgow-based Cryptic at the Leith Volcano from August 22-26.
“Cryptic have worked closely with Robbie over a number of years and we’re delighted to be able to showcase his work at the world’s largest arts festival” said Cryptic artistic director Cathie Boyd. “XFRMR’s combination of stunning visuals and awe-inspiring sound are sure to make it one of the most unique experiences at this year’s Fringe.”
Following its run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, XFRMR will be at Sonica, Cryptic’s major festival of sonic art in Glasgow, in November 2017. Both XFRMR and Lady Macbeth: Unsex Me Here are part of the Made in Scotland showcase.
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